Curiosity Killed the Gnat
by AngelsAndShadows
Summary: The KOPAD killer is on the loose near the Winchester, England area! Not to fear, L is on the case! Wammy's House gets another child genius with the temporary alias "XX02"? When XX02 gets a little too curious, will death come knocking on his door, or will it just let him inside? Not an OC.
1. Chapter 1

**The start of my first multichapter fanfic. Let's hope it doesn't turn out to bad! ^_^'**

* * *

Roger Ruvie- the manager of Wammy's House –picked up the pyjama-clothed child and paced around the kitchen floor. He was the newest addition to the orphanage. He had curly white hair and rarely spoke. The young child still wasn't named. Instead, he was given the temporary alias XX02 until receiving the permanent replacement.

"Well, XX02, it looks like you're going to be staying with us for a while," Roger said quietly, gently rocking the boy to sleep.

"Roger," said a scrambled, automated voice. His computer blinking on. "I have important news. The KOPAD serial killer has been spotted in the Winchester, England area. Keep all the children and staff inside for the next few weeks."

"Understood," Roger replied, watching the monitor turn off. He sighed and carried the now sleeping child to bed. What a disaster.

The KOPAD Killer was an unidentified man behind several murders in several different cities. He left nothing more than a doll and a beautiful black rose at the scene. As though a gift to the dead, and whoever found them. And while some were struck with awe at his crimes, L knew he had to solve this case.

* * *

"And good morning to you, gnat," said a blonde older boy.

Despite the unfamiliar location, XX02 had actually had a good nights sleep. He looked up at the boy. '_What was his name again? Mella? Malla? Oh, now I remember, Mello,_' the white haired boy thought. Actually, despite the name-calling, XX02 would have been perfectly fine with being friends with Mello. Mello whole-heartedly disagreed, but tried not to be overly mean to him.

XX02 was actually pretty impressed with the giant- yet weird –spread of food. There was pancakes, pasta, steak, a large amount of popcorn, lots of junk food, some kind of table containing a selection of different toppings, and that's only what he could see so far! The young child didn't really see any thing that particularly interested him, so he settled for a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk.

It was actually pretty impressive itself that XX02 was able to find the cafeteria. He was only given a quick description and left on his own to find every thing except for his room. He had been told he was smart, but Wammy's House is very big and every hallway looks the same. Very easy to get lost.

Roger had suggested XX02 take today to get settled in, starting classes tomorrow. That left the white haired child to explore his new home, although he'd much rather just stay in his room and play with some of the toys a slightly older orphan had managed to find for him.

This boy was a bit nicer than the blonde boy. He had red hair and green eyes. 'Matt, if I recall correctly,' XX02 thought to himself.

The pyjama-clothed child looked over as Roger called for their attention.

"Unfortunately, I have to ask that everyone remain inside for the next few weeks," he announced. There was a flock of whispers, rumouring about the KOPAD Killer.

"I'm sure you have many questions, but please just remain calm and don't leave the orphanage."

XX02 was confused. He'd never heard of the 'KOPAD Killer'. But the rumble of excited panic told him that it was most likely best to follow the older man's instructions. This killer seemed quite infamous around here; it certainly made the young boy wonder…

* * *

XX02 shuttered. The England temperatures were surprisingly colder than what we was used to. The night had fallen and the white haired boy sat on the floor of his room. He was one of the few to have a room all to himself, but it was starting to get annoying, repeatedly having people check on him.

The boy finally got up and went to close the window. He peered out into the night sky. While he wasn't sure of the orphanage, or L, or himself, there was one thing he knew for sure;

'_This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen._'

Something suddenly caught his eye. He wasn't sure what exactly it was, but XX02 knew it was something. Now, most people would just let it go and forget about it, but XX02 was a curious child. He'd want to know. But what he wanted to know? In all honesty, he didn't know.

But he was tired, and night was nigh, so like any logical person would, he decided to check tomorrow.

* * *

"YEAWHHHHrn."

XX02 heard a yawn. It was not his.

He looked over to see where it was coming from.

"Mornin' bra- kid," said that Mello boy as he walked in. "Roger told me to tell you that classes are cancelled today. We're not sure when they're starting again. Feel free to do whatever you want."

XX02 nodded. "Thank you for telling me," he said as Mello left. '_This is certainly convenient_,' the white haired boy thought. '_But I have never done something like this before, I'll need to contrive a plan_.'

So our little pyjama-wearing thought.

And he thought.

And he thought.

And he thought a lot more.

And after an intense amount of thinking, he came to a conclusion: he'd just walk out the back door.

So the little genius walked down the stairs only to discover a group of older children playing Knucklebones by the doorway. '_On second thought, perhaps I shall leave after dark, it's not as if I'll be long, anyways_.'

* * *

Once again, the sun had just gone down. XX02 had quickly finished his dinner and watched as children of all ages scattered up to their rooms to do whatever they pleased. He hadn't bothered with taking anything with him, he would just go far enough that he could see what it was, then leave. Or at least that's what he keeps telling himself.

Once the coast was cleared, and most children in bed, he quietly walked back to the doorway and outside. The boy had forgotten how nice it felt, the gentle breeze, the crickets chirping, the hushed solitude. As if the universe belonged to only him.

For a moment, he almost began to smile.

He walked and walked until XX02 found the spot he'd spotted before. There was nothing obvious, but still, the boy wandered. An attempt to find the unseen, one might say. His mind so caught up with his search to subconsciously walk out of the yard, onto an old path.

His mind cleared and noted his location, but he continued walking. He was sure whatever he was looking for would have already been passed, but still felt as though he was on the right path. Or, from a technical standpoint, he was on the left path. His mind fluttering with questions, he had barely noticed half an hour go by.

He suddenly came to a stop. Directly in front of him was an old building. It was the size of a small mansion with darkly coloured bricks and shingles. The house was quite rundown and had a Gothic Victorian feel to it. XX02 stared in amazement.

The young boy walked up to the front door. Without thinking, he went to press on the doorbell. But before he had a chance, the door swung open. Standing there was a young man- similar to a teenager- with messy black hair, bags so dark it almost appeared to be makeup, and shockingly red eyes. XX02 could only stare.

The stranger looked and the boy, barely managing to croak out

"Tea?"

* * *

**And for those of you who don't know, Knucklebones is just another name for Jacks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Death Note**

* * *

The young man was shocked. He stared at the young child walking up his driveway. Surely the child knew those who _dared_ to enter his courtyard would never leave again. In a practical standpoint, it was not exactly _his_ courtyard nor _his_ driveway. But, perhaps it would make more sense if I explained a bit more of the strange man.

Some called him B, some Beyond, and some Rue, but most simply called him Evil. And eventually, B grew quite proud of that. He found a _mansion_ while stumbling through a forest- a long _abandoned _mansion to his luck. Without any other place to go- along with the adorning theme -B decided the house would do, settling in immediately. And as far as any other was concerned, this lot was abandoned. And to foolish children looking for adventure? Well, the outcome isn't as pleasant.

B looked up once again, the child nearing the door. Suddenly taking up a quicker pace, the odd man walked towards the front entrance.

'_Perhaps I could just stay quiet and wait for him to leave? No, he's already seen the house, he can't leave. Maybe just deal with him the same as the others? I see no reason as to why not. Or perhaps..._' He thought, subconsciously swinging the door open.

And once again, Beyond stared.

The child couldn't be any older than five, yet it seems he'd walked all the way to B's little home, in the late night, wearing white pajamas. Not even shoes or a coat. Of course neither did Beyond, but that was perfectly normal for him.

Words had defied him. The young mad choked out a near silent "Tea?" and hoped for a plan. B was not entirely sure why he'd asked the boy to tea, nor was XX02 sure why he'd agreed, but now both sat in a once-marvelous dining room sipping away at steaming Earl Grey.

"So..." B started unsure. "What's your name?"

"They call me XX02," the odd child replied.

'_That's a horrible name,_' B thought to himself.

"So you're a secret agent then?"

"I have idea of to what you're talking about," said XX02 monotonously.

"...right. You may call me Rue Ryuzaki." It didn't matter what the child called him. XX02 would be gone anyways.  
"Well, XX02, if you'd please excuse me for one moment," B said as he slowly got up. "Of course," nodded the child.

B walked down the luscious- yet rundown hallway into a much smaller room. The man picked up a large knife and frowned. '_I just cleaned, too._' Beyond hid his horrid weapon behind his back as he returned to the room, sneaking up on the innocent child, knife now drawn, until only inches between remained.

'_Here goes my beautiful white tablecloth,_' B thought as he thrust his hand forwards-

* * *

_"Wait!" The five-year-old Kiwi exclaimed. "Don't kill him!"_

_I looked up._

But I thought you three wanted a story? You specifically said _'a good story'._

_"Not a horror story," the six-year-old, ironicly-named Wrath said._

_The four-year-old Xylo squezed her stuffed bunny tighter and shuttered. Roger was going kill me for scaring them before bed time. He doesn't perticularly enjoy dealing with kids too afraid to sleep._

Fine, fine. Now how about this...

* * *

B walked through the hallways into the kitchen, pulling out a jar of jam from the fridge. While the odd young man didn't keep much food around, there was always a high stock of jam. '_The boy's probably famished; I'll find something for him, too._' Although he wasn't sure why he felt the need to care for little XX02, he did manage to find some crackers and brie he... _borrowed_... from a market seller.

It was not much- and although his expression didn't show it- but XX02 was quite appreciative of the meal. B twisted off the lid of the jar, scooping up a handful off jam with his fingers and shoved it into his mouth (the jam, not the jar). Now it was XX02's time to stare.

'_How odd,_' the white haired child thought, who wasn't even bothered by his odd sitting position.

Noticing, B looked at him. "Would you like some?" he offered. The child shook his head quickly.

The two finished and Beyond took the dishes into the kitchen, leaving XX02 alone in the dining room. Even the inside was jaw-dropping to the young child. The dining room itself was the size of a large gym (and this one wasn't even the biggest) with faded red, black, and silver torn wallpaper. The tables were beautifully carved and the chairs were some of the fanciest he'd ever seen. The room had 28 round tables, each covered with a white table cloth. Looking at the far right, there was a display case, potentially once holding artistic plates, now held unusual dolls and bouquets of beautiful black roses.

Beyond looked through the kitchen windows. Somehow they'd lost track of time. "The sun will rise very soon," he said, returning to the dining room once again. "I'd suggest returning to your place quite soon, before others wake up." The young boy nodded.

"Thank you."

"And XX02," B started. "Whatever you do, never tell anyone about this place."

* * *

Beyond watched as the boy walked down the path. He wasn't sure why he let the boy go. Perhaps because he wouldn't dare tell anyone, or maybe because the child knew too little about it. Yeah... that's it. Certainly not because he had cared about the child. He was evil, right? And evil doesn't care, so neither does he.

Our little XX02 walked along the winding path back to Wammy's House. It didn't nearly take so long as before, much to his luck. The white haired child walked through the back door and down the hall, peering into Roger's empty office. A lone photo was left on the desk. A _crime scene_ photo. This one contained neither blood nor gore, but the photo of a doll left at one of the KOPAD Killer's crime scenes. An oddly familiar doll to those in the display case.

XX02 walked up to his room and tried to get some sleep. But the light soon came in through the curtains making it difficult.

And there was also that feeling you get when you have tea in the middle of the night with a crazed murderer.


	3. Chapter 3

**I have a feeling this is going to end up being a lot of chapters.**

* * *

The morning came too early. Barely fifteen minutes after his eyes closed had the sounds of lightened footsteps started down halls. Exhausted, XX02 pulled the soft white sheets up over his head and sighed. The sun was bright and filled with energy- although he was not -not allowing the child to sleep any longer.

"I am afraid it seems last night was not a dream after all," the young boy noted, taking off his dirt-soaked socks, folding them neatly into the "dirty" laundry basket they had left for him.

Pulling on clean ones, XX02 tiredly made his way down the steps and into the cafeteria. There seemed to be the same choices as the previous day- with a few additions -the white-haired boy deciding on some waffles and strawberries, sitting down at an empty table.

* * *

"Hey!" Yelled a very excited voice, shocking- although not visibly -him out of his tired waffle trance. The pajama wearing boy's head jolted up to see a blonde haired girl- around fifteen -smiling at him enthusiastically.

"Jeez, Caspia, don't scare the boy!" Said a much calmer girl around the same age. "Even I can't deal with your level of energy this early in the morning."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, _Lotus_," the first girl now known as Caspia laughed.

Our dear XX02 thought these girls odd. Caspia having medium-length orangey-blonde hair and Lotus with long dark hair with purple streaks. They didn't look like the typical genius-orphan. Actually, to be perfectly honest, none of them did. But that is completely beside the point.

"Is something the matter?" The young boy asked.

"Depends," Lotus started. "We came to see how you were adjusting. Wammy's House is kinda crazy." Caspia nodded, smile still plastered on her face.

"I am fine," XX02 responded. Besides the odd colours of his room, he had no complaints about the orphanage.

"Really?" Caspia asked surprised. "You already have bags under your eyes."

He blinked. Sure he had only gotten about ten minutes worth of sleep, but bags already?

"It's basically the house of insomnia," Lotus sighed. "Well, if you need anything, we'll be there."

"Bye-bye!" Caspia giggled as her friend practically dragged her along.

'_House of insomnia? Interesting..._' the child thought as he finished the last bite of waffle.

* * *

"So how does he seem?" Asked Roger. He was worried about the poor child. For a five-year old to lose his entire family must be quite devastating.

"Besides tired?" Lotus asked. "Fine. More than fine. Almost like he didn't really care. I think he's locking in all his emotions, not wanting others to see."

"That's not good," said the older gentleman. "Do you think we should get some counseling for him, or wait a little longer?"

"Well," Caspia started. "He finished his waffle and that certainly isn't awful."

"Casp, you just rhymed and it was a crime."

"Now girls, if you argue, things will surely go askew."

Caspia only smiled as her best friend whispered a small 'I hate you'.

* * *

Walking out of through the large doors, XX02 found a quite rec room and sat on the old grey couch, far too tired to do much else. But only mere minutes later, sitting changed to lying and from lying to drifting off to...

There was a thump. The white-haired boy's eyes shot open. Grey eyes meet blue eyes.

"Oi, you're awake," Mello noticed, his seven-year old face only mere centimeters away from the five-year olds.

"I am now," he forced his mouth to form words. "I apologize for falling asleep."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mello rolled his eyes. "I'm here to tell you lunch's ready."

The younger boy nodded, realizing he must've slept all morning. "Thank you."

* * *

Finishing off the last two meals of the day, our young boy sat in the middle of his room, pondering the night before.

Did that really happen? It did. Could he be the killer? You'd need a bit more solid proof. What should I do? What can I do? Should I go back? Why would I go back? When? Is the house even his? Is Rue Ryuzaki his real name? No of course not.

It was like this until his thoughts became a tangled mess, mentally noting to learn to better organize them. Thoughts and thoughts, question after question, once again drifting him off to sleep.

And perhaps, he thought as he felt himself go unconscious, he'd visit again tomorrow. For proof, anyways.

* * *

**So our little XX02 is going to try to solve this case himself? Poor thing, getting up so early in the morning. And don't worry, Lotus and Caspia aren't going to become recurring characters. That is, unless I find a need for them or get a request.**


End file.
